Still human after all
by Matt Jerome Marshall
Summary: Harley Quinn seeks Poison Ivy after the Joker looses control. Warnings: canon typical violence in ch.2
1. Chapter 1

It was pouring rain outside. Mother nature had unchained her anger on Gotham and sieged the city with violent winds, copious rain and thunderbolts that cracked the dark sky like ominous warnings of disasters to come. Dr. Pamela Isley watched the spectacle with satisfaction. Nature was beautiful in it's savageness; a smile tugged at the corner of her lips at the sight of a thunderbolt striking a house. Humans were careless and selfish, they destroyed nature and thought they would never have to pay for such actions. They didn't know what awaited them. Calamities had become the norm and it was only the beginning: mother nature would take back what was hers and wipe away the concrete buildings, tarmac roads and metal prisons humans had encased her in. She relished at the thought. Her entire life, she had worked with nature in an attempt to stop the rampant destruction but even her, with her connection to the green, her poisons and pheromones and her natural talent for botany, hadn't achieved the goals she had hoped for. Seeing nature rebel reminded her that her work hadn't been entirely vain and most importantly, that she had an almighty ally in her crusade. A knock on the door distracted her from her thoughts and her eyebrows furrowed with perplexity: it was late at night and she wasn't expecting anyone. Not many people visited her, she preferred the company of her plants and actively discouraged interactions with humans meaning she had few friends. With feline grace, she quit her window seat to open the door. 

Her heart tightened when she saw her visitor. Harley Quinn stood on her doorstep, drenched in rain and chilled to the bone (why she went around in shorts and a top far too minimalist to be appropriate under any circumstance and especially in this weather was beyond her. But then again, there was hardly anything logical when it came to Harley). She had wrapped her slender arms around herself in a hopeless attempt to warm herself up and constellations of bruises bloomed across her pale skin, standing out like ink on parchment. Her top was stained with dried blood oozing from a split lip and a nasty cut on her cheekbone and the start of a black eye was appearing already. 

"Harley what-" 

The jester didn't give her time to finish, she moved into her arms with a grimace of pain and hid her face in Ivy's neck, clinging to her like she was her lifeline. The redhead stiffened with surprise and the faintest hint of nuisance at the gesture, physical contact wasn't something she was at ease with and Harley was making her slightly uncomfortable. That being said, the heartbroken sobs that shook the blonde girl hit home, appealing to what little humanity Ivy had left and prompting her to place a reassuring hand on Harley's bruised back.

"Mistah J got mad Pammy."

She sobbed. Ivy's features darkened. Of course she had expected it, only the Joker could turn Harley into this mess, and her hatred for the man begun boiling beneath the surface.

"Come on, Harl, I'll get you cleaned up. You can stay here."

She closed the door and attempted to lead the jester in the living room but Harley was clinging to her, refusing to let go as she trembled softly (whether due to fear or cold, Ivy couldn't tell). The botanist's hands closed around Harley's shoulders, pulling her away as gently as possible, careful not to press down on any of the angry bruises decorating her skin.

"Harley, I'm going to get something for the cuts okay?"

The blonde nodded, letting go reluctantly of Ivy and sitting on a nearby chair. There were times where she knew where she had gone wrong: sentences and actions that she knew had angered the joker and triggered the battering, but this time, Harley was clueless. One minute everything had been going fine, the Joker had been planning one of his latest crimes and appeared rather satisfied and the next, he had been hitting her. Why she didn't know, she hadn't spoken much, in fact not at all, as surprising as that was, and yet he had lost control. Sometimes she wondered if he beat her up just for the sake of it, if he took some sick pleasure in her pain. There were moments when she was at her weakest, where such a theory rang so true it hurt but deep down, she wanted to believe Mistah J truly loved her. Poison Ivy came back carrying a bottle of clear liquid Harley recognized as disinfectant. The jester didn't protest when it was applied to her cuts but a grimace of pain rapidly appeared on her face as the liquid begun stinging her wounds.

"It hurts Red."

"I know but it's good for you. Try to stay still."

With a wet cloth, Ivy cleaned the dried blood and took a mental sigh of relief upon seeing that the wounds were much less serious than she had feared. The Joker had done much worse to Harley and she knew him to be capable of killing her if he wanted to. She still remembered the time she had found Harley severely injured in the wrecks of the rocket The clown prince had locked her in with the intent of killing her. That's how their friendship had started, because of a murder attempt gone wrong. There were more romantic stories out there but this one was bound to catch people's attention.

"I don't know what I did wrong Red, one minute he's all happy go lucky and the next he's all bezerk and crazy."

There were tears lingering in Harley's eyes and acting on impulse, Poison Ivy wiped them away with her thumbs. The jester's makeup had run but her features remained as charming as ever. There was singular beauty to this human and Poison Ivy still pained to understand the effect she had on her. She cared about Harley, that much she understood, and she would kill the clown next time she crossed his path. She finished cleaning up Harley's wounds.

"He's psychotic Harl, he doesn't need a reason. He likes hurting you."

"Don't you say that Red. My Puddin' loves me, nah I did something wrong Pam and he got mad. And he's a psychopath, not psychotic, there's a difference."

Poison Ivy sighed. The vicious cycle of abuse never seemed to end. Harley was addicted to the joker and blind when it came to his true nature, she kept going back and he kept hurting her, it was a never ending story. Any attempt to pry Harley away from him had failed and Poison Ivy had promised herself she wouldn't try again.

"My head hurt Red. Everything hurts."

"Let's get you to bed. You need to lie down and rest."

She picked the jester up gently and carried her to the bedroom. The plants stationed there reached out to the intruder but sprung back at Ivy's command, peeling back the covers to make place for Harley instead. She helped her change out of her wet clothes ad into dry ones, noticing that a particularly nasty bruise covered part of her ribcage. She would have to make sure Harley didn't have broken ribs but that would come later, the blonde was half asleep in her arms already and she didn't want to wake her up. She tucked her in, allowing her fingers to linger on Harley's cheeks a beat too long before walking away.

"Pam, can you stay with me?"

Poison Ivy stiffened at the question, torn between her wish to return to her work (she was working on one of her eco mixtures, one that would make a handy weapon if she succeeded in finding the right dosage) and staying with Harley. One look at the jester and the decision was taken, driven by the human part of the animal/plant hybrid. She lied down next to Harley who cuddled up to her, fitting her slim body against Poison Ivy's in the search for warmth or the certainty of being secure.

"The Joker doesn't love you Harl. You can't keep going back to him."

She stroked Harley's hair softly, feeling a genuine pang of tenderness and concern for the joker's sidekick. Harley didn't answer, she was already sleeping, exhausted and worn out by the battering and quite possibly by the pain. She pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Stay here with me Harley. He doesn't love you like I do."

She murmured, admitting what she would have never been able to say if Harley had been awake. The words sounded foreign to her own ears, unused as she was to human feelings and all their complications. With her face hidden against Ivy's shoulder, Harley smiled. Ivy was still partly human after all.


	2. Chapter 2

On the wall the clock ticked, moving time along torturously slowly for Ivy's tastes. Patience had never been one of her virtues and after the initial love and tenderness Harley's arrival had swept her with, a new more prominent emotion was taking over: anger. Her green eyes brushed over Harley's sleeping face, tracing the bruises and abrasions peppering her skin as anger turned into fury and fury into hatred. The Joker had to be stopped, Clown Prince or not the man couldn't hurt Harley this way, not _her_ Harley. Careful not to wake the blonde jester up, she weaseled her way out of Harley's embrace, replacing her presence with a pillow before getting out of bed. Harley wouldn't notice, she was too tiered to wake up and by the time she did, the deed was bound to be already accomplished. She made her way to her laboratory, selecting carefully a few pieces of equipment from her display of weapons before closing the apartment's door quietly behind her. There was only one way of protecting Harley, and that was eliminating the Joker.

Outside the rain had ceased but angry black clouds suffocated the night sky. The air was chilly but Ivy ignored it as she made her way through Gotham's underbelly. People hardly ever ventured in those alleys at night and those stupid enough to do so usually were found dead the next morning, shot or strangled by the thugs and criminals that roamed in the darkness. Petty criminals without aspirations or possibilities, a useless species that had nothing to do with what Ivy was searching. The Clown Prince of Crime was at the top of the food chain, a madman at the head of a terrifying empire that was better left untouched by commoners. Then again, Poison Ivy was no common human. He never settled, moving around like a gypsy, but the Green saw everything and led Poison Ivy right where she needed to go, whispering their warning as she arrived in front of a seemingly run down building. The few loose strands of grass trapped between concrete blocks shook and spoke a last plea for her to let it go and turn back but she ignored it and ventured into the lion's den.

She had expected chaos yet found a maniac order instead: an assortment of weapons were lined up in concentric circles with worrying precision, ranging from vulgar crowbars to more modern and elegant machine guns in a display of terrifying power. Fear was a human emotion and Ivy felt little of it as she moved between circles, captivated by the sight but on edge, ready to lash out at the smallest foreign movement.

"Welcome! Welcome! I see you have found me."

Slicked back green hair, ghostly white skin and that sickening, scarred smile. The Joker was insanity itself in its deepest, darkest version and Ivy was never going to understand how Harley could love that man, that _creature._ He came near with quiet, tranquil footsteps that contrasted sharply with the madness glistening in his eyes and Ivy followed his motions, never loosing sight of him as he circled her.

"You have to leave Harley. Let her go."

The Joker released an ice cold cackle, throwing his head back in hilarity as he laughed before stopping to regain his breath.

"Let her go? Harley loves me _. I_ created her, _I_ made her what she is. Do you believe I would let her go? Or that she would stay away from me? I had you down as sharper than this, Dr. Isley."

Ivy's fists tightened as anger rose like bile in her throat. Part of her knew he was right: Harley would never stay away from him, and that made it worse. She didn't like being second choice. With a subtle movement of her hands, she compelled a vine to slither towards the Joker, making its discrete way across the floor like a snake ready to strike. A futile attempt but worth a try. The Joker smiled again, noticing the weapon.

"You want to try and kill me and then what? What happens when you succeed? Harley won't forgive you. And if you don't succeed…Harley won't forgive you and you'll be all alone …well…not all alone …you'll always have me to dance with. But enough talking, all this chitchat will end up hurting you."

"We'll see about that."

The vines were quick, growing stronger under command as they caught hold of the man's feet in a death grip, holding him still as more darted towards his upper body. Poison Ivy smirked: she was going to enjoy seeing him being torn apart limb by limb. An explosion resonated and her plants were torn to shreds, shrapnel cutting them loose as the joker lunged towards safety, pulling a gun from his pocket and pointing it at her. He didn't fire, just watched as a thick, smoky substance filled the room and pushed Ivy to her knees, seized by a sudden choking sensation. Around her, the vines shriveled and dried up, dying with a shriek that tore into her mind. Herbicide. Where had he gotten herbicide? Not that it mattered, the Joker always had a trick up his sleeve. The fog dissipated, leaving her weakened but still alive and she attacked again, this time picking up a gun. The shot rang out and hit home, sprinkling fragments of bone and flesh around the room as the dull clinking of metal on ground indicated the Joker had let go of his weapon. He laughed again, all traces of calmness gone as he stood hunched over uncaring about the bloody stump that now replaced his right arm. She thought Harley was about as insane as they got but seeing her boyfriend, she had to reconsider her statement. He seemed to _enjoy_ the pain. Vines turned into branches as they skittered past a series of smaller bombs and extended towards the Joker, once more taking hold of him and immobilizing him as they tightened around him like chains, strangling him and crushing the bones and flesh beneath. The laughed continued, growing wheezy but never wavering as Poison Ivy approached him. She wanted him dead but something compelled her to have a little fun before she ended him. The first punch shattered him nose and spilled crimson blood over the vines and floor but the Joker's grin remained plastered to his face, the second one split his lip but he licked the blood and mocked her.

"She choose me. She'll always choose me."

He taunted. She hit him again, bruising her knuckles against his teeth and in the split second before pain cut her like a knife, she saw the mocking smirk become one of victory. She stumbled back and her eyes landed on the iron bar embedded in her abdomen. The plants loosed their grip on the Joker and turned lip as Ivy's vision blurred and her strength vanished. The man shook a few leaves from his shoulders and stepped over the plants, looking down at the redhead before kneeling down.

"Sometimes you just have to play the role of a fool to fool the fool who thinks they are fooling you."

She was vaguely aware of the citation but her mind was too hazy with pain to remember who had said it, yet she knew then that the Joker had played her the entire time. Of course he had, she had been stupid to think otherwise, stupid to believe she could go after him in a fit of blinding rage and win. The Joker required a well thought out plan to be defeated, not some spur of the moment decision. He picked up a butterfly knife and flicked it open inches away from her face before ghosting it slowly down her neck.

"Time to take the final bow , this is your curtain call."

The pressure of the knife against her throat increased but the cut never came. A mallet was lowered on the Joker's cranium and his heavy body collapsed on the injured woman. The iron rod dug deeper into her flesh at the impact but all she could muster was a muffled whimper.

"I thought I told ya to leave Mistah J alone."

Harley stood over the two bloody bodies with the mallet swung over her shoulder and her hip jutting out to a side in a rather disapproving stance.

"I was trying to make sure he wouldn't hurt you again."

Harley pulled he unconscious Joker off Ivy, casting him unceremoniously to a side before looking back at her friend.

"You don't look too good Red."

 _No shit_. The jester trailed her fingers down the metal, finding the spot where it pierced the flesh and Ivy understood too late what she wanted to do. The agony that followed threated to make her pass out as Harley ripped the metal bar from the wound, hurrying to press down on the wound to quench the spurt of blood that followed suit.

"Sorry Red."

"You could have warned."

She barked through gritted teeth. A vine wrapped over the wound, swatting away Harley's hand to form a makeshift bandage. She tried to stand up without success.

"You're bad Red. You got Mistah J mad. Now he'll hold a grudge against you."

Harley helped her up, supporting her weight as they made their way out of the building and Ivy followed her lead, too unsteady to take decision. The Joker was the least of her problems in that moment and her energy was being focused on breathing and trying not to choke on the blood filling her mouth.

"I'm taking you to the hospital Pammy. I have a friend that can help you."

Had she been better Ivy would have protested and stated that bringing two well known criminals into a hospital was suicidal, but her vision was blurring and blacking out at the edges and all she could do was concentrate on not succumbing to the darkness as Harley dragged her away.


	3. Chapter 3

Harley wasn't quiet very often yet as she leaned against the greenhouse's doorframe with her hands crossed over chest and her clear eyes fixated on Poison Ivy, she felt at peace. The botanist leaned over her desk, mixing chemicals and substances in various beakers with practiced ease and a concentrated expression painted on her face. The sight had a magical quality to it whilst outside, the sun begun setting, bathing the room in a golden light. The jester shook herself from her trance and approached, slipping her arms around Ivy's waist as she peeked at her experiments, resting her chin on Ivy's shoulder.

"Ye shouldn't be up Red, the docs said you needed some rest."

"I'm fine Harl."

"No one's ever fine when Puddin' gets mad. I know a little something about that."

Ivy set the beakers down and turned around, meeting Harley's gaze with her own. Seeing the concern and the deeply rooted sadness shining in Harley's eyes made her feel a sharp stab of guilt and she took the jester's pale hands in her own.

"I'm okay. I promise."

Harley's hands slid out if her own to prompt Ivy's tank top up just enough to expose the gauze hiding the wound. The redhead kept still as white fingers traced its edge but she couldn't hide a sharp intake of breath when they brushed over the injury. Pain was one of the few emotions plants and humans shared and one she was much more accustomed to causing than to feeling.

"Ye shouldn't have gone after him Pammy. You could've gotten yourself killed."

"I know…I just-"

"Got mad."

Ivy nodded. Part of her was waiting for Harley's outburst of anger the way so many other conversations about the Joker and their abusive relationship had ended but Harley seemed impossibly calm and for once dead serious as she cupped Ivy's visage in her hands and brushed her thumbs over her cheekbones.

"It ain't your job to protect me Red. I can manage on my own."

"You can't. You're addicted to him, unless someone kills him first, one day you'll go back to him like you always do and you'll end up dead. The Joker is a disgusting, abusive leech but you can't see it, you're convinced he loves you and you keep choosing him."

Harley shook her head.

"Not this time I didn't. I could've let him kill ya , but I didn't and one week later I'm still here."

In the chaos of frustration, anger and pain that had followed Ivy's confrontation with the Joker, the botanist had overlooked two crucial details that now downed on her and made her speechless. One: Harley had hit the Joker. Two: Harley was still here with her, for the first time in the duration of their relationship, the jester hadn't left in the middle of the night to crawl back to her _puddin'_ leaving Ivy to wake up to an empty bed and betrayal. The blonde smiled and gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

"I'm staying Pammy. I promise."

"I'm still killing The Joker when I get the chance."

"Okay, but next time I'm doing it with you."

Harley knew The Joker was an indissoluble part of her. She was bound to miss him and the temptation to go back to him was going to come back and plague her eventually, perhaps she would even give in and have a relapse from time to time (who better than her could know the psychological implications of recovering from an addiction.), but she was done proclaiming her love for him. He had used her, hit her, manipulated her and tried to murder her and in return she had gotten nothing but insanity and trips to Arkahm Asylum. It wasn't worth it. It had taken her a long time to realize Ivy was better, that the shelter and protection she offered could constitute a new Joker free life but now that she had seen it she had no intention of going back.

"Red?"

"Yes?"

"Did you mean it when you said you loved me?"

Ivy looked back at her surprised.

"I wasn't really asleep you know? I heard it."

The redhead pondered what to say. Was she really ready to tell Harley the truth and make herself vulnerable to betrayal and mockery? Harley could still go back to the Joker and this time around, it would go far beyond refusing a friend's help. Love was powerful, it could do wonders but it could also be used to hurt people. Was she willing to take the risk?

"Yes, I meant it. I love you."

"I love you too."

Plants didn't feel love, animals did and humans more than any other kind. Harley was different than any other human, somehow she managed to bring to the surface the humanity that Jason Woodrue had stolen from her all those years ago and Ivy knew that as long as the little Jester was by her side, she would remain human after all.


End file.
